Stricken and Okocza,
I didn't mean for the "house sound" comment to be taken negatively, and maybe I used this term in error - its just that Dynaudios I have listened to - mostly Audience, Focus and Contour lines - have had a similar presentation and behavior when presented with a signal. I have noticed as others have mentioned here that they all like power, that they sound a little sterile at low volume when under powered and communicate pretty clearly how lower powered amps are laboring at higher volume. This honesty can get in the way of enjoyment that less precise or demanding speakers gloss over.
Given enough juice, the Dynaudio speakers I have heard sing and are uniquely capable of making the broadest range of material sound good. When somebody says for example "I like orchestral music, acoustic world music and rap(!), what speakers should I get", I suggest Dynaudios because of their "neutrality" and overall capability to reproduce all forms of recorded music well. I also personally love their design aesthetic, which can be an acquired taste for their more expensive speakers. Go up the line in price, and the "house sound" as I put it just gets more clear and nuanced, if your electronics can highlight what the speakers have to offer.
One additional note, I have heard the 52's (do not recall if they were SE or non-SE) connected to a PrimaLuna Prologue II (40 watts) and Rega P3, and the combination sounded fantastic at low to moderate volumes. Things got a little loose at higher volumes that rock or orchestral music might requre. On the other hand I listened to the Dynas with a Creek 5230SE, which has significantly more rated power in solid state, and a mid level Sim audio CD player and did not care for the combination at all and attribute it to a mis-match with the amp.
So from this I would take that quality tube power of 35 watts or more in a modest sized room may be fine for moderate listening levels with these speakers, but agree that as a general rule I would error on the side of higher quality sources and bigger and better amplification with Dynaudio products.
